Typical weight for pro riders: 2 lbs per inch

Want to feel like a lardbutt? I can't remember where I saw this, but when I was on vacation last week, I came across a story that said the average rider in the pro peloton weighs 2 pounds per inch of height, and NO first-rate rider hits a kilogram (2.2 pounds) per inch.
I'm 6'4", so that means I should get down to around 155... Man, that last 75 pounds is going to be tough to lose.

I think your number may be a little off. Hincapie races at ~2.2 lbs per inch and he's pretty lean. Some of the best climbers may get to 2 lbs per inch, but that's very lean, even for a pro. Here's an article where Friel talks briefly about weight per inch in his response to a question from a reader.

2 of the best female climbers I know are at 2 lbs per inch and a few guys I know who are great climbers are close to that number. Strangely, one of the best climbers I know is quite a bit over that. I suck at climbing and would need to lose 60 lbs to reach 2 per inch, never gonna happen, not even half that.

2lbs per inch works for distance runners of short to medium stature, but the formula breaks down with increasing height, because mass increases with the cube of height. The lowest weight I maintained in college was 137lbs, only 1lb above twice my 68" height. However, I was pretty much devoid of upper body strength in those days, so I would be happier weighing 10lbs more than that, which means I have 5lbs of gut-flab to lose, which looks and sounds about right.

If you have ever been around the pro racers much you can believe that they are that light. It is unreal how thin they are, even the ones who look relatively bulky. I bet Janez Brajkovich, winner of the 2007 Tour de Georgia, is even below that ratio. He is a toothpick!

In the latest Bicycling it lists Tom Danielson as something like 5'10 (or 6' I cannot recall exact height) and 130 pounds. It's an article about how the pro's lose weight! They are getting as anorexic as fashion models!

In the latest Bicycling it lists Tom Danielson as something like 5'10 (or 6' I cannot recall exact height) and 130 pounds. It's an article about how the pro's lose weight! They are getting as anorexic as fashion models!

The last time I weighed 140 lbs, I think I was 22, 23 years old.
At 2.78 lbs per inch right now, I'm practically obese. How depressing.
I mean, I've already cut down to one glass of wine per night... what more can I do!?

The last time I weighed 140 lbs, I think I was 22, 23 years old.
At 2.78 lbs per inch right now, I'm practically obese. How depressing.
I mean, I've already cut down to one glass of wine per night... what more can I do!?

Clearly the most important thing you can do at this point is to buy a new bike. I'd say a LeMond. And I wouldn't wait one more minute. OK, maybe a day or two, but definitely not after Saturday.

Want to feel like a lardbutt? I can't remember where I saw this, but when I was on vacation last week, I came across a story that said the average rider in the pro peloton weighs 2 pounds per inch of height, and NO first-rate rider hits a kilogram (2.2 pounds) per inch.
I'm 6'4", so that means I should get down to around 155... Man, that last 75 pounds is going to be tough to lose.

The 2 lbs per inch thing is about great climbers, obviously there are exceptions, although I doubt Lance was near 175 when he won the TDF. Many men could never get near that number, even if they were starving. It just applies to certain individuals, generally small-framed people.